Italian Lentil Soup

Italian Lentil Soup

What you need:

• 2 Tbsp butter
• 1 large white onion, diced
• 4 celery stalks, diced
• 3 carrots, diced
• 4 large garlic cloves, chopped
• 4 small zucchini, diced
• 6 large tomatoes, diced
• 2 tsp dry oregano
• 1 cup red wine
• 6 cups beef broth
• 12 oz lentil beans
• 2 cups fresh kale, coarsely ripped
• salt/pepper (to taste)
• 1 package sweet Italian sausage
• Parmesan cheese, grated
• fresh basil

What to do:

• Sauté onion, celery and carrots over medium heat about 5 minutes.
• Add garlic, zucchini, tomatoes, wine and oregano, reduced heat to low and simmer 20 minutes stirring occasionally.
• Add beef broth, lentils, salt/pepper, bring to low boil for 30 min.
• While soup is cooking, BBQ sausage thoroughly and cut into slices.  If unable to BBQ, steam sausage about 4 min on each side in a covered skillet in about 3/4  inch of water.  Remove sausages, slice lengthwise down the middle, place on a foil-lined broiling pan, place on second to highest rack position, and broil until fully cooked and browned… flip them and brown on other side, then cut into bite-sized pieces.
• Add sausage to soup for about 30 min and cook until beans are not crunchy; And kale during the last 10 min.
• Add water if soup becomes too thick and season with salt if necessary.
• Serve with a dollop of sour cream and slices of fresh basil to taste.

Enjoy!